The French expression “tirer le diable par la queue” translates literally to “to pull the devil by the tail”.
English meaning:
- to live hand to mouth
French meaning:
- vivre sans peu de ressources – to live with few resources
Example sentence:
- La réalité c’est que la plupart des américains tirent le diable par la queue : le rêve américain deveint impossible à atteindre. The reality is that the majority of Americans live hand to mouth and that the American dream is becoming impossible to reach.
Related:
- un/une précaire (noun) – person who’s job is unstable
- précaire (adjective) – unstable, insecure (with regards to jobs and income).
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho and have helped hundreds of students to learn French via Skype or Zoom since 2014. 
